W2W4 in Hanover-Adams: April 18-23
Last week was a big one in the YAIAA, with a number of matchups taking place that helped a number of teams take both slim and commanding leads in their respective divisions.
Now, those division-leading teams will look to stay ahead while the ones behind them continue to give chase. There will be plenty of key games again this week, meaning we could see some new teams at the top of the standings in just a few days.
With that in mind, here's this week's top events to watch for the Hanover-Adams area.
Baseball
Spring Grove at Red Lion, 7 p.m. Wednesday: The reigning Division I champion Rockets are off to a strong start and had an impressive win this past Tuesday, when they beat one of the league's top teams in Dallastown, 5-2. But Spring Grove will get another tough challenge on Wednesday, when it faces an up-and-coming Red Lion squad.
Under new head coach Kevin Lawrence, the Lions are off to a 3-2 start and are 2-1 in Division I. Both Spring Grove coach Kevin Stiffler and Dallastown coach Greg Kinneman said last Tuesday that Red Lion will be a team to watch the rest of the season.
A win against the Lions will serve notice to the rest of the division and league that Spring Grove is still the team to beat. But the Rockets might have to play without star senior Matt Brooks, who left Thursday's game against South Western early.
Delone Catholic at Biglerville, 4:15 p.m. Monday: After finishing 8-12 last season, the Canners (7-2, 7-0 YAIAA Division IV) are undefeated in division play so far and seem determined to capture the Division IV title. But they've yet to play the reigning champion Squires (3-5, 3-1), who are off to a slow start this season but have only lost once in division play.
A win for the Squires would put them right back in the thick of the division race. The Canners have had a habit of starting slow before staging comebacks this season, so look for Delone Catholic to try and take advantage by taking the lead early.
Softball
Central York at Spring Grove, 4:15 p.m. Monday: Spring Grove (3-4, 3-2 YAIAA Division I) has played inconsistently this season, but still remains in third place in Division I. On Monday, the Rockets will get the chance to upset reigning YAIAA tournament champion Central York (7-0, 4-0 YAIAA Division I), which has yet to lose this season.
While some predicted the Panthers to take a step back this season after graduating six seniors, that has yet to be the case. The Rockets will certainly have their hands full against them, so pulling off a win would be huge.
Track and field
Delone Catholic at Bermudian Springs, 3:45 p.m. Tuesday: On the girls' side, these two teams have been the best Division III has to offer so far this season. But while the Eagles (3-1) have performed well in 2016, the Squirettes (4-0) haven't lost a dual meet the past two seasons. Beating them will not be easy.
For the boys, keep an eye on the 100-meter dash, where two of the area's best sprinters in Delone Catholic's Tavian Dorsey and Bermudian Springs' Devon Hodgen will be competing.
Girls' lacrosse
New Oxford at Susquehannock, 6 p.m. Thursday: After posting the best record (9-7) in program history last season, the Colonials are 7-2 already this season and are among a handful of teams competing for the league title. Another one of those teams in Susquehannock, which is off to a 7-1 start.
While New Oxford is coming off a tough week that included losses to York Catholic and Red Lion, Thursday's game will be another chance for the Colonials to make a statement. And it will feature two of the top players in the league in New Oxford's Braxtin Reddinger and Susquehannock's Rachel Marshner.
Boys' lacrosse
Delone Catholic at Dover, 4:15 p.m. Monday: \As far as the standings go, this game won't mean anything since both programs are still playing a JV schedule. But with the Squires and Eagles both making the jump to varsity next season, Monday's matchup will give them a chance to see how far along they are.
